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THE  SITE  OF  FORT  de  CREVECOEUR 

The  committee  to  designate  the  site  of  Fort  de  Creve- 
coeur,  appointed  in  accordance  with  an  act  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illinois  by  the  President  of  the 
Illinois  State  Historical  Society,  herewith  presents  its  re- 
port. 

HISTORY  OF  FORT  de  CREVECOEUR 

In  January,  1680,  Robert  Cavelier,  Sieur  de  la  Salle, 
entered  the  string  of  small  lakes  opposite  and  above  the 
modern  city  of  Peoria  and  encamped  at  an  Indian  village, 
called  Pimiteoui,  situated  on  the  site  of  modern  Averyville. 
On  January  15,  La  Salle  selected  the  position  for  the  fort 
and  began  building  it  at  once.  It  was  finished  in  a  few 
weeks.  On  March  1,  La  Salle  himself  started  on  a  return 
journey  to  the  East,  and  Father  Hennepin  the  day  before 
began  his  wanderings  up  the  Mississippi  River.  Some  days 
later  Tonti  received  an  order,  sent  back  by  La  Salle,  to 
inspect  Starved  Rock  as  a  possible  site  for  a  permanent 
fort.  During  Tonti's  absence  sometime  in  April  the  troop- 
ers, left  at  Fort  de  Crevecoeur,  demolished  the  fort  and 
deserted.1  The  site  was  never  again  occupied  except  for  a 
few  days.  Thus  the  history  of  Fort  de  Crevecoeur  ex- 
tends over  a  period  of  only  about  three  months.  Its  im- 
portance lies  in  the  fact  that  it  was  the  first  public  building 
erected  by  white  men  within  the  boundaries  of  the  modern 
state  of  Illinois  and  the  first  fort  built  in  the  West  by  the 
French.  Its  site  is,  therefore,  a  monument  to  the  beginning 
of  the  occupation  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  by  men  of 
European  birth. 


>  The  date  of  the  destruction  of  Fort  de  Crevecoeur  may  be  found  in  Margry;   Decouvertes 
et  Etablissements  des  Frart(ais,  I,  520. 


o 


■ :    I 


THE  SOURCES  OF  INFORMATION 

The  problem  concerning  the  site  of  the  fort  is  a  purely 
historical  one,  and  its  solution  can  be  accomplished  only  by 
the  careful  collection  of  all  information  written  by  contem- 
poraries that  may  have  come  down  to  our  time.  After  this 
operation  of  collection  was  completed,  the  committee  found 
that  the  location  of  the  approximate  site  of  the  fort  was 
not  difficult.  Of  the  men  who  were  participants  in  the 
building  of  Fort  de  Crevecoeur,  four  have  written  concern- 
ing it;  and  their  accounts  have  been  preserved.  First  of  all 
there  is  La  Salle  himself,  whose  statements  must  be  accepted 
as  being  of  greater  value  than  those  of  all  others.  Three 
of  La  Salle's  companions  who  were  present  at  the  time  of 
the  building,  Henri  de  Tonti,  Father  Louis  Hennepin,  and 
Father  Zenobe  Membre,  have  also  left  a  record  of  their 
experiences. 

La  Salle's  accounts  are  as  follows:  A  letter  addressed 
to  one  of  his  associates  containing  an  account  of  the  ex- 
plorer's activities  during  the  year  1679  to  September  29, 

1680,  printed  by  Pierre  Margry,  in  his  Decouvertes  et  Etab- 
lissements  des  Francais  dans  I'Ouest  et  dans  le  Sud  de 
VAmerique  Septentrionale,  etc.,  II,  32ff;  a  similar  letter, 
covering  the  period  August  22,    1680,   to  the  autumn  of 

1681,  printed  in  the  same,  II,  115ff;  a  letter  dated  August 
22,  1682,  in  the  same,  II,  212ff ;  a  description  of  the  Illinois 
River,  no  date,  in  the  same,  II,  164ff. 

Besides  these  letters  of  La  Salle  there  is  the  "Relation 
Officielle  de  l'Entreprise  de  Cavelier  de  la  Salle"  ("Official 
Account  of  the  Enterprise  of  Cavelier  de  la  Salle"),  the 
authorship  of  which  is  discussed  on  a  later  page.  It  is 
printed  in  Margry,  Decouvertes  et  Etablissements  des  Fran- 
gais,  I,  435ff. 

Henri  de  Tonti,  the  faithful  lieutenant  of  La  Salle,  wrote 
two  accounts  of  his  journeyings;  one  is  printed  in  Margry, 
Decouvertes  et  Etablissements  des  Francais,  I,  573ff;  the 


second  may  be  consulted  in  the  Illinois  Historical  Collec- 
tions, I,  128ff.  In  neither  account  is  there  information  that 
is  of  assistance  to  this  investigation. 

Father  Zenobe  Membre,  a  Recollect  priest  and  compan- 
ion of  La  Salle,  wrote  an  account  of  his  journeyings.  This 
is  embodied  in  Le  Clercq,  Etablissement  de  la  Foi,  published 
at  Paris,  1691,  a  scarce  volume  now  and  most  easily  con- 
sulted in  the  translation  by  John  D.  Gilmary  Shea. 

Father  Louis  Hennepin,  a  Recollect  friar,  has  won  for 
himself  an  evil  reputation  by  wrongly  claiming  for  himself 
the  glory  of  first  voyaging  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi 
River.  This  claim  was  made  several  years  after  the  publi- 
cation of  his  first  book  and  does  not  invalidate  anything  he 
may  have  written  concerning  Fort  de  Crevecoeur.  Still  La 
Salle  had  an  unfavorable  opinion  of  him,  which  he  ex- 
pressed as  follows:  "He  never  fails  to  exaggerate  every- 
thing; it  is  his  character.  .  .  .  He  speaks  more  in  conform- 
ity with  what  he  wishes  than  what  he  knows."2  Hennepin's 
first  volume,  entitled  Description  de  la  Louisiane  nouvelle- 
ment  decouverte  au  Sud  'oiiest  de  la  Nouvelle  France,  was 
published  in  Paris,  1683.  His  second  work,  including  the 
first  with  additions,  was  entitled  Nouvelle  Decouverte  d'un 
tres  grand  Pays  Situe  dans  V Amerique,  etc.  This  last  may 
be  most  easily  examined  in  the  composite  English  edition  of 
1698  reprinted  by  Reuben  G.  Thwaites,  in  1903,  with  the 
title:  A  New  Discovery  of  a  Vast  Country  in  America,  by 
Father  Louis  Hennepin. 

All  passages  from  the  foregoing  works  containing  in- 
formation about  the  site  of  Fort  de  Crevecoeur  will  be 
found  reproduced  in  full  in  the  Appendices  to  this  report; 
the  original  French  with  translation  is  printed  when  essen- 
tial. 

A  sixth  source  of  information  is  found  in  the  contempo- 
rary maps  drawn  by  Jean  Baptiste  Louis  Franquelin,  an  in- 
habitant of  Canada  during  these  years.    He  eagerly  col- 


2Margry,  Decouvcrtes  el  Etablissements  des  Franfais,  II,  259. 


lected  all  information  concerning  the  vast  West  and  in- 
serted it  on  his  map,  which  was  issued  in  several  editions. 
Franquelin  was  greatly  interested  in  the  explorations  of 
La  Salle  and  must  have  received  from  his  own  lips  much  of 
the  information  he  incorporated  on  his  map. 

The  first  map,  which  was  probably  the  work  of  Franque- 
lin, showing  the  site  of  Fort  de  Crevecoeur  is  entitled, 
"Carte  de  l'Amerique  Septentrionale  et  partie  Meridionale 
.  .  .avec  les  nouvelles  decouvertes  de  la  Riviere  Mississippi 
ou  Colbert."  (No  name,  no  date).  The  lower  Mississippi 
is  entirely  omitted;  and  Francis  Parkman,  the  historian,  in- 
fers that  it  was  the  work  of  Franquelin  and  was  made  in 
1682  or  1683  before  the  geographer  heard  of  La  Salle's 
voyage  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.3 


3Parkman,  La  Salle  (ed.  1905),  482.     The  map  is  reproduced  in  outline  in  Winsor, Narrative 
and  Critical  History,  IV,  227. 


Franquelin's  map,  1682 


8 

When  La  Salle  returned  from  the  West  in  1683  on  his 
way  to  Paris,  he  gave  Franquelin  much  more  complete  in- 
formation concerning  the  Illinois  River  Valley.  It  is  quite 
possible  that  La  Salle  himself  carried  the  drawing  to  Paris, 
where  it  was  dated  1684.  The  original  map  has  been  lost, 
but  Francis  Parkman,  before  this  occurred,  had  a  careful 
copy  of  it  made;  and  this  latter  is  now  in  the  Harvard  Col- 
lege library.  A  reproduction  of  this  important  Franquelin 
map  is  printed  by  Reuben  G.  Thwaites  in  his  edition  of  the 
Jesuit  Relations,  volume  63.  Reproductions  of  parts  of 
both  these  maps  by  Franquelin  will  be  found  in  this  report. 

LAKE  PIMITEOUI 

On  January  1,  1680,  La  Salle  and  his  party  canoed  along 
a  "little  lake"  called  Pimiteoui,  and  landed  at  a  village  in- 
habited by  Illinois  Indians,  also  named  Pimiteoui,  where 
they  established  themselves  for  a  few  days.  Since  the 
establishment  of  the  site  of  Fort  de  Crevecoeur  depends  on 
the  determination  of  the  position  of  this  Indian  village  and 
the  general  character  of  Lake  Pimiteoui,  the  topography  as 
it  presented  itself  to  the  eyes  of  La  Salle  must  be  clearly 
described. 

Fortunately  there  exists  an  excellent  description  of  the 
lake  by  La  Salle  himself.  The  translation  is  here  given  in 
full;  the  original  French  may  be  found  in  Appendix  I,  A: 

"Five  leagues  lower  one  finds  the  river  of  Moingoane, 
which  flows  through  a  beautiful  prairie  which  one  can  see 
from  the  river.  Seven  leagues  lower  is  the  little  lake  of 
Pimiteoui,  seven  to  eight  leagues  in  length  and  one  to  two 
leagues  in  width  at  its  widest  place,  composed,  as  it  were, 
of  three  little  lakes  which  communicate  with  each  other  by 
as  many  straits.  The  first  and  the  most  northerly  is  bor- 
dered, on  the  west,  by  a  beautiful  prairie,  and  on  the  east  by 
a  swampy  woods,  which  extends  to  the  foot  of  some 
mountains  covered  with  timber  which  run  along  these  three 
small  lakes  on  the  east  and  southeast  sides.    The  little  lake, 


or  the  lake  in  the  middle,  also  has  swampy  land  on  the  west, 
then  some  rather  high  hills,  and  thirdly  a  beautiful  prairie; 
then  the  river  narrows  and  continues  at  the  same  width  up 
to  another  small  lake  between  two  chains  of  hills  covered 
with  timber,  from  which  it  is  more  or  less  distant,  leaving 
between  them  and  its  bed  a  great  interval  of  woods  inter- 
spersed with  marshes  which  are  inundated  entirely  during 
flood  waters.  As  far  as  this  second  lake  one  finds  prairies 
only  once.  About  a  league  below  Pimiteoui,  at  the  left  in 
descending,  the  border  of  the  river  is,  moreover,  everywhere 
covered  with  timber.  The  shore  is  very  much  more  elevated 
than  the  depth  [farther  inland].  The  land  always  slopes 
downward  to  the  foot  of  the  hills  where  the  waterfalls  form 
some  great  marshes;  these  are  full  of  fish  of  all  kinds,  be- 
cause the  flooded  river  rises  a  great  deal,  in  the  spring, 
above  this  kind  of  wood-covered  bank  which  borders  it  and 
fills  up  these  marshes;  the  fish,  which  find  a  great  deal  to  eat 
there,  stop  in  them;  and  when  the  river,  having  returned 
into  its  bed,  can  no  longer  go  forth  because  of  the  height  of 
its  banks,  the  Indians  build  drains  there,  in  the  summer, 
by  means  of  which  they  drain  these  marshes,  where  they 
catch  as  many  fish  as  they  wish." 

We  have  also  a  description  of  the  lake  in  Hennepin's 
New  Discovery,  (Appendix  V,  B).  He  writes:  "At  the 
end  of  the  fourth  day  of  the  year  we  crossed  a  little  lake,  in 
length  about  seven  leagues  and  in  width  one,  named 
Pimiteoui,  which  signifies  in  their  language  that  there  is  in 
this  place  an  abundance  of  fat  beasts.  The  Sieur  de  la 
Salle  judged  by  the  astrolabe  that  the  latitude  was  thirty- 
three  degrees  forty-five  minutes.  This  lake  is  very  remark- 
able because  the  river  of  the  Illinois  although  it  freezes  as 
far  as  there — this  lasts  only  four  or  five  weeks  and  happens 
only  rarely — is  never  frozen  from  this  place  down  to  its 
discharge  into  the  Mississippi." 

La  Salle's  rather  detailed  description  of  the  three  ex- 
pansions of  the  Illinois  River  into  three  "lakes"  extending 
from  Chillicothe  to  opposite  Peoria  corresponds  exactly  to 


10 

present-day  conditions.  The  general  contour  of  the  lakes 
can  have  undergone  very  little  change,  confined  between  two 
lines  of  bluffs  as  the  river  is.  From  the  streams  pouring 
down  the  ravines,  deposits  have  been  constantly  made  along 
the  shores,  modifying  the  outlines  within  circumscribed 
limits;  but  for  the  purpose  of  this  discussion  such  minor 
changes  may  be  discounted,  since  the  determination  of  the 
site  of  the  fort  is,  in  the  opinion  of  the  committee,  not  af- 
fected very  materially  by  them.4 

La  Salle  states  that  the  length  of  Lake  Pimiteoui,  com- 
posed of  three  lakes,  was  seven  or  eight  leagues.  Evidently 
he  did  not  make  a  careful  measurement  of  the  distance. 
Father  Hennepin  writes  that  the  distance  was  seven  leagues. 
The  French  league  is  2.49  miles;  and  the  three  lakes  there- 
fore extended,  according  to  the  reckoning  of  the  explorers, 
over  a  distance  of  17V2  or  20  miles.  The  present  length 
of  the  lakes  from  Chillicothe  to  the  foot  of  the  lake  opposite 
Peoria,  as  measured  on  the  United  States  Geological  Sur- 
vey map,  is  about  19  miles.  La  Salle's  estimate  was,  there- 
fore, approximately  correct. 

The  translation  of  La  Salle's  description  of  the  lakes 
needs  some  elucidation.  In  writing  of  the  middle  lake  he 
calls  it  the  "little  lake — or  the  lake  in  the  middle."  This 
may  be  interpreted  as  the  smallest  of  the  three,  but  not 
necessarily,  for  La  Salle  calls  Lake  Pimiteoui  itself  a  "little 
lake";  and  this  limiting  adjective  attached  to  the  middle 
lake  does  not  convey  an  idea  of  comparison  any  more  than 
in  the  case  of  the  whole  lake.  If  it  had  been  the  intention 
to  write  "the  smallest  lake,"  the  expression  would  have 
been  "le  plus  petit".  La  Salle  describes  the  land  bordering 
the  little  lake  in  the  following  words:  "Le  petit  lac  ou  lac 
du  milieu  a  auss'y  des  pays  noyez  a  l'ouest  et  puis  des  cos- 
teaux  assez  hauts,   et  le  troisiesme  une  belle  campagne." 


4For  an  excellent  discussion  of  the  geology  of  the  region  see  United  States  Geological 
Survey,  Bulletin  506,  Geology  and  Mineral  Resources  of  the  Peoria  Quadrangle,  Illinois,  by  J.  A. 
Udden.     The  map  in  the  pocket  should  be  consulted. 


11 


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12 

We  translate  this  as  follows:  "The  little  lake,  or  lake  in 
the  middle,  also  has  swampy  land  on  the  west,  then  some 
rather  high  hills,  and  thirdly  a  beautiful  prairie."  It  is  in- 
correct to  interpret  this  last  phrase  as  meaning  and  "the 
third  lake  has  a  beautiful  prairie",  as  a  hasty  reader  might 
do.  In  the  first  place  no  beautiful  prairie  borders  any  of 
the  lakes  except  the  upper;  secondly  there  is  evidently  the 
intention  of  describing  a  series  of  land  formations  from  the 
lake's  edge,  namely,  in  the  first  place,  "marshy  land";  sec- 
ondly, "bluffs";  and  thirdly,  beyond  the  bluffs,  "a  prairie". 
The  final  argument  supporting  this  interpretation  is  that 
La  Salle  continues  his  narrative  by  describing  the  third  lake 
which  lay  beyond  the  narrows;  this  lower  or  third  lake  of 
La  Salle's  Lake  Pimiteoui  is  the  one  lying  opposite  Peoria 
and  is  called  today  Peoria  Lake.  La  Salle's  estimate  of 
seven  or  eight  leagues  as  the  extent  of  the  three  lakes 
proves  conclusively  that  this  lower  lake  was  included  in  his 
description. 


THE  INDIAN  VILLAGE  OF  PIMITEOUI 

The  next  point  to  establish  is  the  site  of  the  Indian  vil- 
lage also  called  Pimiteoui.  This  offers  almost  no  difficulty, 
and  there  is  general  agreement  among  investigators.  La 
Salle  writes  (Appendix  I,  B)  :  "We  travelled  four  days 
toward  the  south  quarter  of  the  southwest  along  this  river 
and  arrived,  on  January  5,  at  the  place  which  the  savages 
call,  in  their  language,  Pimiteoui.  On  the  night  before, 
while  crossing  a  small  lake,  we  had  perceived  some  smoke; 
and  that  day  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  found  on 
two  shores  of  the  river  a  quantity  of  pirogues  and  saw  some 
great  clouds  of  smoke  which  issued  forth  from  eighty  huts 
filled  with  savages."  Father  Zenobe  Membre  (Appendix 
IV,  A)  writes:  "They  left  it  on  the  1st  of  January,  1680, 
and  by  the  4th  were  thirty  leagues  lower  down  amid  the 
camp  of  the  Illinois;  they  were  encamped  on  both  sides  of 
the  river,  which  is  very  narrow  there,  but  very  near  there 


13 

forms  a  lake  about  seven  leagues  long  and  one  wide,  called 
Pimiteoui." 

By  general  agreement  among  those  who  have  investi- 
gated the  conditions  existing  in  the  neighborhood  at  the 
time  of  La  Salle,  this  village  of  Pimiteoui  is  placed  on  the 
western  side  of  the  river  at  the  narrows  between  the  second 
and  the  lowest  lake;  this  is  where  the  village  of  Averyville 
stands  today.  It  is  possible  to  designate  the  site  more 
closely.  In  1683  La  Salle  built 'Fort  St.  Louis  on  Starved 
Rock.  After  La  Salle's  death  his  lieutenants,  La  Forest 
and  Tonti,  petitioned  for  the  cession  of  land  and  rights 
which  had  been  made  to  their  former  commander;  and 
their  petition  was  granted  in  1690.  Tonti,  during  the  win- 
ter of  1690-1691,  abandoned  Starved  Rock  and  built  Fort 
St.  Louis  at  the  village  of  Pimiteoui  and  shortly  afterwards 
the  Jesuits  followed  him  to  the  same  place.  Here  at 
Pimiteoui,  or  Pimitoui  as  it  was  then  called,  the  French 
maintained  a  fort  until  1763,  when  they  hauled  down  the 
flag  which  had  floated — though  not  continuously — over  the 
middle  Illinois  River  Valley  from  the  time  La  Salle  built 
Fort  de  Crevecoeur  until  France  abandoned  the  purpose  of 
building  an  empire  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  The  ruins  of 
the  French  fort,  called  sometimes  Fort  St.  Louis  and  some- 
times Fort  Pimitoui  were  seen  by  many  people  living  in 
quite  recent  times.  Descriptions  place  the  site  of  the  fort 
on  the  present-day  Catherine  Street  in  Averyville.  In  this 
neighborhood  was  the  ancient  Indian  village  of  Pimiteoui.5 


6For  an  account  of  Fort  Pimiteoui  see  Alvord,  The  Illinois  Country  (Illinois  Centennia  i 
History,  Volume  I) ,  89;  on  the  ruins  of  the  old  fort,  see  Bateman  and  Selby,  Historical  Encyclo~ 
pedia  of  Illinois  and  History  of  Peoria  County,  Pt.  II,  19. 


14 

THE  SELECTION  OF  THE  SITE  OF  FORT  de 

CR&VECOEUR 

On  January  15,  1680,  La  Salle  set  out  from  Pimiteoui  to 
build  a  fort  as  a  protection  to  his  men  and  property  from 
possible  attacks  from  the  Iroquois.  Father  Hennepin 
writes  that  it  was  on  that  day  that  he  and  La  Salle  selected 
the  site.  La  Salle  is  the  better  authority  and  it  is  most 
probable  that  during  his  stay  at  Pimiteoui  the  leader  had 
explored  the  environs  with  a  view  of  selecting  the  best  site 
for  his  proposed  fortification.  The  accounts  of  the  move- 
ment from  the  Indian  village  to  the  site  do  not  aid  us  much 
in  our  search.  La  Salle  himself  writes  (Appendix  I,  C) 
that  a  thaw  had  "rendered  the  river  free  from  ice  from 
Pimiteoui  as  far  as  there",  i.  e.,  the  site  of  the  fort,  Father 
Hennepin  states  that  the  thaw  had  freed  the  river  from  ice 
below  the  village.  From  these  passages  it  is  evident  that 
the  fort  was  situated  downstream. 

Since  a  fairly  definite  location  of  Fort  de  Crevecoeur  is 
found  in  the  maps  by  Franquelin,  the  committee  prefer  to 
bring  in  their  testimony  at  this  time.  The  first  map  was 
made  in  1682  or  1683  presumably  before  news  of  La  Salle's 
successful  voyage  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  in  the 
year  1682  had  reached  Canada.  Franquelin  may  have  seen 
La  Salle  on  his  hasty  trip  east  in  1680;  and  if  such  was  the 
case,  Franquelin's  location  of  the  fort  on  this  earlier  edition 
of  his  map  was  made  from  the  most  direct  source  of  infor- 
mation. There  can  be  no  question,  however,  that  before 
the  edition  of  his  map  drawn  in  1684,  Franquelin  conferred 
with  La  Salle,  for  in  it  the  situation  in  the  Illinois  valley  is 
reproduced  in  the  greatest  detail.  We  have  thus  the  very 
best  and  most  indubitable  testimony  in  the  map  of  1684. 

If  the  reader  will  consult  the  reproductions  of  parts  of 
these  two  maps  by  Franquelin,  he  will  see  that  the  geog- 
rapher has  not  attempted  to  separate  the  three  lakes  form- 
ing Lake  Pimiteoui;  this  would  have  been  difficult  on  a  map 


15 


Franquelin's  map,  1684 


16 

of  the  size  covering  such  an  extent  of  territory.  He  does, 
however,  in  both  cases  place  Fort  de  Crevecoeur  on  the 
southern  river  bank  below  the  lake. 

The  committee  are  unanimously  of  the  opinion  that  the 
testimony  of  these  maps  concerning  the  site  of  Fort  de 
Crevecoeur  is  most  important,  and  that  all  passages  from 
the  written  accounts  that  seemingly  contradict  this  testi- 
mony must  be  interpreted  in  conformity  with  it  or  discarded 
as  valueless.  In  accordance  with  the  maps,  the  site  of  Fort 
de  Crevecoeur  must  be  sought  on  the  narrows  of  the  river 
south  of  the  lower  end  of  Peoria  Lake.  All  the  sites  situ- 
ated on  the  bank  of  the  lake  that  have  been  claimed  by 
various  investigators  may,  therefore,  be  disregarded. 

There  are  passages  from  contemporary  written  accounts 
that  indicate  the  same  position  and  contain  information 
that  make  it  possible  to  designate  more  definitely  the  site 
of  the  fort.  The  most  important  passages  of  this  sort  con- 
cern the  beginning  of  La  Salle's  return  journey  to  Fort 
Frontenac  in  March,  1680.  La  Salle  himself  writes  (Ap- 
pendix I,  E)  :  "I  embarked  with  six  Frenchmen  and  a  sav- 
age in  two  canoes,  the  river  being  free  before  the  fort;  but 
we  had  not  travelled  an  hour  when  we  found  it  frozen.  I 
believe  that  the  little  current  that  was  present  in  that  part 
was  the  cause  of  the  ice  remaining  there  so  long;  and  not 
wishing  to  part  with  my  canoes  that  I  wished  to  send  back 
to  the  fort  loaded  with  Indian  corn,  when  I  should  arrive 
at  the  village,  I  encouraged  my  men  to  hope  that  at  the  end 
of  the  frozen  lake  the  current  would  have  rotted  the  ice 
and  we  should  have  a  free  passage."  He  then  had  sleds 
made  and  they  dragged  their  canoes  as  far  as  the  Indian 
village  at  modern  Utica. 

The  passage  does  not  inform  us  clearly  how  far  they 
canoed  on  the  narrower  river  nor  how  soon  upon  entering 
the  lake  they  struck  ice.  The  explorers  had  noticed  that  the 
water  of  the  Illinois  river,  however,  froze  as  far  as  the 


17 

lower  end  of  the  lake,  but  below  the  lake  it  was  never 
frozen.6  The  canoes  would  have  travelled  in  less  than  an 
hour  between  two  and  a  half  to  three  miles.  From  the 
passage,  therefore,  some  idea  of  the  site  of  the  fort  is  given. 
It  was  a  mile  or  two  or  more  below  the  lower  end  of  the 
lake. 

There  exists  a  narrative  of  La  Salle's  explorations  dur- 
ing the  years  1679  and  1681,  which  is  published  by  Pierre 
Margry  (Appendix,  II,  B)  under  the  title  of  "Official  Ac- 
count of  the  Enterprise  of  Cavelier  de  la  Salle."  Who  was 
the  author  is  uncertain.  Perhaps  it  was  written  by  La  Salle 
himself  or  more  probably  by  a  friend  in  Paris  who  drew 
from  La  Salle's  letters,  some  of  which  have  not  been  pre- 
served, or  else  obtained  his  information  from  conversations 
with  the  explorer.  A  comparison  of  this  narrative  with 
that  by  Hennepin  proves  that  one  must  have  been  derived 
very  directly  from  the  other;  in  fact  there  can  be  no  doubt 
of  plagiarism  by  one  or  the  other.  In  the  minds  of  the 
committee,  after  comparing  the  two,  Father  Hennepin  is 
the  plagiarist.  Even  in  the  passages  quoted  in  the  appendix 
of  this  report,  (Appendices  II,  A  and  III,  C),  the  careless- 
ness of  the  friar  as  a  copyist  is  evident. 

The  narrative  of  La  Salle's  canoe  trip  up  the  river  in 
this  "Official  Account"  adds  the  following  information: 
"The  current,  rather  rapid,  kept  the  river  near  the  fort 
free  from  ice;  but  after  a  league  (two  and  one-half  miles) 
of  navigation  and  at  the  entrance  of  an  enlargement,  or  of 
a  lake,  some  eight  leagues  long,  that  the  river  forms,  they 
found  it  frozen."  The  statement  that  they  travelled  a 
league  before  reaching  the  lake  is  not  found  in  La  Salle's 
letter.  Furthermore  it  is  inconceivable  that  the  writer 
could  have  had  any  purpose  to  serve  in  falsifying  the  ac- 
count of  this  particular  episode.    The  information  is  given 


"Both  Father  Membre  and  Father  Hennepin  state  this,  but  the  latter  was  probablv  follow- 
ing the  former.  Le  Clereq,  Establishment  of  the  Faith,  II.  119;  Henrepin,  New  Discovery, 
(Thwaites  ed.)  I,  154.     Both  passages  in  Appendix  of  this  report. 


18 

with  such  certainty  that  we  must  conclude  that  the  writer 
himself  knew  the  situation  of  the  fort  or  else  had  what  he 
regarded  as  reliable  authority  for  the  statement. 

A  third  passage  from  one  of  La  Salle's  letters,  which 
may  be  misinterpreted  and  has  been  used  by  all  those  in- 
vestigators who  have  attempted  to  locate  the  site  of  the 
fort  on  Peoria  Lake,  is  easily  understood  in  the  light  of  what 
has  already  been  proved.  On  August  22,  1682,  in  a  letter 
to  a  friend  he  describes  the  Illinois  River  and  uses  the  fol- 
lowing expression:  (Appendix,  I,  D)  "But  at  various 
places,  as  at  Pimiteoui,  a  league  to  the  east  of  Crevecoeur, 
and  at  two  or  three  other  times  below,  it  (the  river)  is 
enlarged  to  one  or  two  leagues."  There  might  be  some 
doubt  as  to  whether  La  Salle  meant  the  lake  or  the  village 
of  Pimiteoui,  but  since  other  testimony  locates  the  fort 
about  a  league  south  of  the  enlargement,  he  evidently  had 
the  lake  in  mind.  The  historian  finds  many  difficulties  in 
interpreting  La  Salle's  written  statement,  since  he  was  not 
always  clear  in  his  expressions  and  sometimes  was  very  care- 
less; in  two  places  he  writes  of  "Pimiteoui,  or  Crevecoeur,*' 
as  if  the  two  places  were  identical.7  Of  course  in  describ- 
ing the  whole  Mississippi  Valley  the  identifying  of  two 
places  only  a  few  miles  apart  may  be  excusable. 

The  lower  end  of  Peoria  Lake  has  probably  undergone 
greater  changes  since  1680  than  any  other  part  of  the  water 
system  composing  the  three  enlargements  of  the  river  which 
La  Salle  called  Lake  Pimiteoui,  for  here  the  river  valley 
has  received  the  wash  from  Farm  creek  on  the  south  and 
Kickapoo  creek  on  the  north.  The  flat  land  has  been 
continuously  built  up  by  the  detritus  which  these  carry,  so 
that  the  end  of  the  lake  lies  today  farther  up  stream  than 
in  the  time  of  La  Salle.  The  members  of  the  committee 
realize  that  by  the  action  of  the  water  there  has  been  lost 
a  fixed  and  definite  point  from  which  to  measure  the  two 
miles  and  a  half  down  stream.     Still  this  is  not  such  an  im- 


7Margry,  Decouvertes  el  Elablissemcnts  des  Franfais,  II,  133,  248. 


19 

portant  loss,  since  the  distances  given  by  La  Salle  are  evi- 
dently only  approximate.  When  he  said  a  league,  he  did 
not  anticipate  that  future  historians  would  attempt  to  check 
his  estimate  by  a  surveyor's  chain. 

After  a  careful  consideration  of  these  three  passages, 
written  either  by  La  Salle  or  by  one  with  more  explicit 
information  derived  from  the  explorer  than  is  available  to- 
day, the  members  of  the  committee  are  unanimously  of  the 
opinion  that  the  site  of  Fort  de  Crevecoeur  was  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Wesley.  This  opinion  is  supported  by 
hoary  tradition  that  has  been  passed  down  from  generation 
to  generation  of  Peorians  and  people  of  the  environs.  Al- 
though the  committee  place  little  reliance  on  unverified  tra- 
dition, it  is  satisfying  to  find  that  the  site  discovered  by 
careful  analysis  of  the  historical  sources  coincides  with 
popular  memory.  Until  further  information  on  this  subject 
is  obtained  the  committee  prefer  not  to  designate  the  exact 
spot  of  La  Salle's  fort. 

J.  C.  THOMPSON, 
Chairman  of  Committee. 


20 


FINAL  REPORT 

Crevecoeur  is  a  proper  name  and  should  be  printed  as 
one  word.  The  fort  erected  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
Illinois  river  by  La  Salle  in  1680  was  so  called  in  conse- 
quence of  the  recent  destruction  of  Fort  de  Crevecoeur  in 
the  Netherlands  by  Louis  XIV,  who  captured  that  strong- 
hold in  1672.  There  is  proof  that  Henri  de  Tonti  was 
present  at  this  engagement. 

Fort  de  Crevecoeur  was  not  the  first  habitation  es- 
tablished within  what  are  now  the  corporate  limits  of 
Illinois.  That  favor  must  be  accorded  to  Father  Mar- 
quette's winter  cabin,  which  rested  two  leagues  from  the 
lake  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  west  fork  of  the  south 
branch  of  the  Chicago  river.  It  was  constructed  during  the 
winter  of  1674-1675. 

Father  Marquette  was  driven  from  his  cabin  by  flood 
waters  in  the  spring  of  1675  due  to  the  break  up  of  the  ice 
in  the  Des  Plaines  river.  He  secured  his  effects  in  trees 
and  took  refuge  upon  a  hillock  nearby.  Shortly  thereafter 
he  crossed  the  portage  and  proceeded  by  canoe  on  his  voy- 
age to  the  mission  of  the  Cascasquias. 

The  site  of  Fort  de  Crevecoeur  was  selecteed  by  La  Salle 
Jan.  15,  1680.  It  was  placed  in  command  of  Henri  de 
Tonti  March  1,  1680,  when  La  Salle  departed  on  his  weary 
journey  of  sixty-five  days  to  Fort  Frontenac.  It  was  de- 
serted by  its  garrison  in  April,  1680,  after  Tonti  had  re- 
paired to  Starved  Rock  pursuant  to  an  order  issued  by 
La  Salle.  It  was  damaged  by  fire  set  by  the  Iroquois  in 
October,  1680.  Its  ruins  were  visited  in  February,  1682, 
by  Father  Membre  who  attended  La  Salle  on  his  voyage  of 
discovery.  Fort  de  Crevecoeur  was  associated  intimately 
with  the  two  most  daring  achievements  of  La  Salle:  (1) 
the  march  of  five  hundred  leagues  to  Fort  Fontenac  in  1680 
and  (2)  the  exploration  of  the  Mississippi  river  in  1682. 

Fort  de  Crevecoeur  was  built  upon  the  termination  of  a 
ridge  at  a  distance  from  the  river  which  extended  to  the 


21 

base  of  the  ridge  during  severe  rains.  This  is  the  time  and 
place  to  state  that  the  fort  rested  near  the  bank  of  the 
river.  There  is  nothing  in  the  record  to  indicate  that  the 
fort  stood  near  the  shore  of  the  lake.  It  was  defended  on 
one  side  by  the  river;  that  is  to  say,  the  side  facing  the 
stream  was  abrupt  enough  to  be  regarded  as  inclosed.  Two 
wide  and  deep  ravines  fortified  two  other  sides.  A  trench 
was  excavated  in  the  rear  uniting  the  two  ravines,  thus 
forming  an  irregular  square  surmounted  by  a  natural  pla- 
teau.  The  location  of  the  trench  is  plainly  visible. 

The  prelimniary  report  is  an  assembly  of  source  ma- 
terials that  cannot  be  questioned,  to  which  attention  is 
invited.  It  includes,  among  other  things,  three  reproduc- 
tions of  original  maps  together  with  the  printed  testimony 
of  the  four  men — Hennepin,  La  Salle,  Membre  and  Tonti — 
who  were  identified  with  the  fort,  and  who  left  their  im- 
pressions concerning  it.    We  must  be  bound  by  this  record. 

Fort  de  Crevecoeur  stood  about  one  league  downstream 
from  Peoria  lake.  The  record  is  too  lengthy  to  be  inserted 
here  but  ( 1 )  La  Salle  had  not  travelled  an  hour  by  canoe, 
when  he  found  the  lake  frozen;  (2)  after  a  league  of  navi- 
gation, they  found  the  lake  covered  with  ice;  (3)  the  lake — 
a  league  to  the  east  of  Crevecoeur;  (4)  the  maps  of  Fran- 
quelin,  1682  and  1684,  place  the  fort  on  the  eastern  bank 
of  the  river  below  the  lake. 

The  preliminary  report  was  returned  before  a  final 
judgment  was  reached.  It  does  not  purport  to  fix  the  exact 
site  of  Fort  de  Crevecoeur.  It  determines  only  the  neigh- 
borhood, a  league  below  the  lake,  that  includes  three  sites 
to  be  considered:  (1)  the  Wesley  site;  (2)  the  Lagron 
site;  and  (3)  the  site  chosen  by  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution.    All  other  sites  may  be  disregarded. 

Decisions  are  painful.  But  we  find  that  the  river  extended 
to  the  base  of  the  cliff  during  severe  rains.  This  would 
eliminate  the  Wesley  site,  the  tract  of  land  between  the 
foot-hills  and  the  river  now  occupied  by  the  recently  incorpo- 
rated Village  of  Crevecoeur. 


22 

The  brief  submitted  by  Mr.  Lagron  is  clear  and  consist- 
ent, but  the  formation  so  particularly  described  no  longer 
exists.  Its  area  is  traversed  by  the  right  of  way  of  the  Erie 
road  and  is  not  available.  The  brief  will  repay  a  most 
careful  study. 

The  only  location  that  meets  with  the  essential  require- 
ments of  the  record — the  geographical  situation — the  com- 
manding position — the  abrupt  front — the  two  wide  and 
deep  ravines — the  trench — the  irregular  square — the  natural 
plateau — and  last  but  not  least,  the  traditions — is  the  site 
chosen  by  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution.  This 
is  our  best  judgment.  If  it  is  not  the  true  site,  we  earnestly 
recommend  it  as  the  most  suitable  emplacement  for  the 
marker  until  future  generations  shall  find  out  the  right. 

OTTO  L.  SCHMIDT, 

President  Illinois  State  Historical  Society. 

JESSIE  PALMER  WEBER, 
Secretary  Illinois  State  Historical  Society. 

J.  C.  THOMPSON, 

Chairman   of  Committee. 


23 
APPENDICES 

APPENDIX  I.     LA  SALLE'S  TESTIMONY 

A:  La  Salle's  Description  of  Lake  Pimiteoui.  From 
Margry,  Decouvertes  et  Etablissements  des  Fran- 
cais,  II,  177-178. 

On  trouve  cinq  lieues  plus  bas  celle  des  Moingoane,  qui 
traverse  une  belle  campagne  qu'on  descouvre  de  la  riviere. 
Sept  lieues  plus  bas  est  le  petit  lac  de  Pimiteoui,  long  de 
sept  a  huit  lieues  et  large  de  une  a  deux  par  le  plus  large, 
compose  comme   de   trois  petits  lacs   qui   s'entre-communi- 
quent  par  autant  de  destroits.     Le  premier  et  le  plus  sep- 
tentrional est  borde,  a  l'ouest,  d'une  belle  campagne,  et,  a 
Test,  de  bois  noyez  qui  s'estendent  jusqu'au  pied  des  mon- 
tagnes  couvertes  de  bois  qui  regnent  tout  le  long  de  ces  trois 
petits  lacs  du  coste  de  Test  et  du  sud-est.     Le  petit  lac  ou 
lac  du  milieu  a  aussy  des  pays  noyez  a  l'ouest  et  puis  des 
costeaux  assez  hauts,  et  le  troisiesme  une  belle  campagne, 
puis  la  riviere  se  retrecit  et  continue  egalement  large  jusqu'a 
un  autre  petit  lac  entre  deux  chaisnes  de  costeaux  couverts 
de  bois,  dont  elle  s'esloigne  parfois  plus  et  parfois  moins, 
laissant  entre  eux  et  son  lit  un  grand  intervalle  de  bois  entre- 
coupe   de   marais   qui   inondent   entierement   dans   les   des- 
bordemens  des  eaux.     On  ne  trouve  jusqu'a  ce  second  lac 
qu'une  fois  les  campagnes.     Environ  une  lieue  audessous  de 
Pimiteoui,  a  gauche  en  descendant,  le  bordage  de  la  riviere 
est  partout  ailleurs  couvert  de  bois.    L'escore  de  la  terre  est 
beaucoup  plus  releve  que  la  profondeur,  qui  va  tousjours 
en  baissant  jusqu'au   pied   des   costeaux,    dont   les   esgouts 
forment  de  grands  marais  qui  sont  pleins  de  poissons  de 
toute  sorte,  parceque,  la  riviere  desbordee  surmontant  de 
beaucoup,  le  printemps,  cette  espece  de  chaussee  couverte 
de  bois  qui  la  borde  et  remplissant  ces  marais,  le  poisson,  qui 
y   trouve   beaucoup    a    manger,    s'y   arreste,    et    lorsque    la 
diviere,  rentree  dans  son  lit,  ne  peut  plus  en  sortir  a  cause 


24 

de  la  hauteur  du  bordage,  les  Sauvages  y  font  des  saignees 
Teste,  par  le  moyen  desquelles  ils  assechen  ces  marais,  ou  ils 
prennent  autant  de  poissons  qu'ils  veulent. 

[Translation] 

Five  leagues  lower  one  finds  the  river  Moingoane, 
which  flows  through  a  beautiful  prairie  which  one  can  see 
from  the  river.  Seven  leagues  lower  is  the  little  lake  of 
Pimiteoui,  seven  to  eight  leagues  in  length  and  one  to  two 
leagues  in  width  at  its  widest  place,  composed,  as  it  were, 
of  three  little  lakes  which  communicate  with  each  other  by 
as  many  straits.  The  first  and  the  most  northerly  is 
bordered,  on  the  west,  by  a  beautiful  prairie,  and  on  the 
east  by  a  swampy  woods  which  extends  to  the  foot  of  some 
mountains  covered  with  timber  which  run  along  these  three 
small  lakes  on  the  east  and  southeast  sides.  The  little  lake, 
or  the  lake  in  the  middle,  also  has  swampy  land  on  the  west, 
then  some  rather  high  hills,  and  thirdly  a  beautiful  prairie; 
then  the  river  narrows  and  continues  at  the  same  width  up 
to  another  small  lake  between  two  chains  of  hills  covered 
with  timber,  from  which  it  is  more  or  less  distant,  leaving 
between  them  and  its  bed  a  great  interval  of  woods  inter- 
spersed with  marshes  which  are  inundated  entirely  during 
flood  waters.  As  far  as  this  second  lake  one  finds  prairies 
only  once.  About  a  league  below  Pimiteoui,  at  the  left  in 
descending,  the  border  of  the  river  is,  moreover,  every- 
where covered  with  timber.  The  shore  is  very  much  more 
elevated  than  the  depth  [farther  inland].  The  land  always 
slopes  downward  to  the  foot  of  the  hills  where  the  water- 
falls form  some  great  marshes;  these  are  full  of  fish  of  all 
kinds,  because  the  flooded  river  rises  a  great  deal,  in  the 
spring,  above  this  kind  of  wood-covered  bank  which  borders 
it  and  fills  up  these  marshes;  the  fish,  which  find  a  great  deal 
to  eat  there,  stop  in  them;  and  when  the  river,  having 
returned  into  its  bed,  can  no  longer  go  forth  because  of  the 
height  of  its  banks,  the  Indians  build  drains  there,  in  the 


25 

summer,    by    means    of   which    they   drain    these    marshes, 
where  they  catch  as  many  fish  as  they  wish. 

B  :  La  Salle's  account  of  the  village  of  Pimiteoui.  From 
Margry,  Decouvertes  et  Etablissements  des  Fran- 
cats,  II,  37-38. 

Nous  marchasmes  quatre  journees  vers  le  sud-quart  de 
sud-ouest  le  long  de  cette  riviere  et  arrivasmes  le  cinquiesme 
de  Janvier  au  lieu  que  les  Sauvages  appellent  en  leur  langue 
Pimiteoui.  Nous  avions  aperqeu,  des  la  veille,  des  fumees  en 
traversant  un  petit  lac;  et  ce  jour-la  sur  les  neuf  heures  du 
matin,  nous  trouvasmes  des  deux  costez  de  la  riviere  quan- 
tite  de  pirogues  et  vismes  de  grandes  fumees  qui  sortoient 
de  quatre-vingts  cabanes  pleines  de  Sauvages  que  nous  des- 
couvrismes  les  premiers  et  qui  ne  nous  aperceurent  qu'apres 
que  nous  eusmes  double  la  pointe  derriere  laquelle  ils  estoi- 
ent  campez  a  demy-portee  de  fusil.  Nous  estions  dans  huit 
canots  sur  une  ligne,  nous  laissant  aller  au  courant  de  l'eau 
et  tenant  nos  armes  en  main. 

[Translation] 

We  travelled  four  days  toward  the  south  quarter  of  the 
southwest  along  this  river  and  arrived,  on  January  5,  at  the 
place  which  the  savages  called,  in  their  language,  Pimiteoui. 
On  the  night  before,  while  crossing  a  small  lake,  we  had  per- 
ceived some  smoke;  and  that  day  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  we  found  on  two  shores  of  the  river,  a  quantity  of 
pirogues  and  saw  some  great  clouds  of  smoke  which  issued 
forth  from  eighty  huts  filled  with  savages  whom  we  were 
the  first  to  discover  and  who  only  perceived  us  after  we 
had  doubled  the  point  behind  which  they  were  camping 
within  half  a  gun  shot.  We  were  in  eight  canoes  drawn  up 
in  a  line,  letting  ourselves  float  with  the  current  of  the 
water  and  holding  our  arms  in  hand. 


26 

C :  La  Salle's  Description  of  Fort  de  Crevecoeur. 
From  Margry,  Decouvertes  et  Etablissements  des 
Francais,  II,  48-49. 

Je  dis  ces  sortes  de  raisons  a  ceux  qui  me  restoient  pour 
les  encourager  a  entreprendre  volontiers  le  travail  de  cette 
fortification,  qui  devoit  estre  grand  pour  si  peu  de  monde. 
lis  s'y  resolurent  tous  de  bonne  grace,  et  nous  rendismes  au 
lieu  que  j'avois  destine,  le  15  Janvier,  sur  le  soir,  un  grand 
degel,  qui  survint  a  propos,  ayant  rendu  la  riviere  libre 
depuis  Pimiteoui  jusques  la.  C'estoit  un  petit  tertre 
esloigne  du  bord  de  la  riviere  d'environ  trois  arpents, 
jusques  au  pied  duquel  elle  se  repandoit  toutes  les  fois  qu'il 
tomboit  beaucoup  de  pluye.  Deux  ravines  larges  et  pro- 
fondes  enfermoient  deux  autres  costez,  et  le  quartiesme  a 
moitie,  que  je  fis  achever  de  fermer  par  un  fosse  qui  joignoit 
les  deux  ravines.  Je  fis  border  l'autre  coste  des  ravines  de 
bons  chevaux  de  frise,  escarper  le  penchant  du  tertre  tout 
autour,  et  de  la  terre  qu'on  en  tiroit  je  fis  faire  sur  la 
hauteur  un  parapet  capable  de  couvrir  un  homme,  le  tout 
revestu  depuis  le  pied  du  tertre  jusqu'au  haut  du  parapet  de 
grands  madriers,  dont  le  bas  estoit  en  coulisse  entre  de 
grandes  pieces  de  bois  qui  regnoient  tout  autour  du  bas  de 
l'eminence,  et  le  haut  des  madriers  arreste  par  d'autres 
grandes  traverses  retenues  a  tenons  et  a  mortoises  par 
d'autres  pieces  de  bois  qui  sortoient  de  l'espaisseur  du  para- 
pet. Au  devant  de  cet  ouvrage  je  fis  planter  partout  des 
pieux  pointus  de  vingt-cinq  pieds  de  haut,  d'un  pied  de 
diametre,  enfoncez  de  trois  pieds  dans  terre,  chevillez  aux 
traverses  qui  retenoient  le  haut  des  madriers  avec  une  fraise 
au  haut  de  deux  pieds  et  demy  de  long  pour  empescher  la 
surprise.  Je  laissay  la  figure  qu'avoit  ce  platon,  qui  quoyque 
irreguliere,  ne  laissoit  pas  d'estre  assez  bien  flanquee  contre 
des  Sauvages;  je  fis  faire  deux  logemens  pour  mes  gens  dans 
deux  des  angles  flanquants  pour  estre  tous  postez  en  cas 
d'attaque,  le  moyen  fait  de  grosses  pieces  de  bois  a 
Tespreuve  du  mousquet,  dans  le  troisiesme  la  forge  faite  de 


27 

mesme  matiere  le  long  de  la  courtine  qui  regarde  le  bois,  le 
logis  des  Recollects  dans  le  quatriesme  angle,  et  fis  placer 
ma  tente  et  celle  du  sieur  Tonty  dans  le  milieu  de  la  place. 

[Translation] 

I  gave  these  kinds  of  reasons  to  those  who  remained  with 
me  in  order  to  encourage  them  to  undertake  willingly  the 
work  of  this  fortification,  which  was  bound  to  be  heavy  for 
so  small  a  number  of  people.     They  all  agreed  to  it  with 
good   grace,    and   we    repaired   to    the   place   that    I    had 
destined.     On  January   15,  toward  evening  a  great  thaw, 
which  opportunely  occurred,  rendered  the  river  free  from  ice 
from  Pimiteoui  as  far  as  there  [the  place  destined].    It  was 
a  little  hillock  about  540  feet  from  the  bank  of  the  river; 
up  to  the  foot  of  the  hillock  the  river  expanded  every  time 
that  there  fell  a  heavy  rain.    Two  wide  and  deep  ravines 
shut  in  two  other  sides  and  one-half  of  the  fourth,  which 
I  caused  to  be  closed  completely  by  a  ditch  joining  the  two 
ravines.     I  caused  the  outer  edge  of  the  ravines  to  be  bor- 
dered with  good  chevaux-de-frise,  the  slopes  of  the  hillock 
to  be  cut  down  all  around,  and  with  the  earth  thus  excavated 
I  caused  to  be  built  on  the  top  a  parapet  capable  of  covering 
a  man,  the  whole  covered  from  the  foot  of  the  hillock  to 
the  top  of  the  parapet  with  long  madriers    (beams),  the 
lower  ends  of  which  were  in  a  groove  between  great  pieces 
of  wood  which  extended  all  around  the  foot  of  the  eleva- 
tion; and  I  caused  the  top  of  these  madriers  to  be  fastened 
by   other   long   cross-beams   held    in   place   by   tenons    and 
mortises  with  other  pieces  of  wood  that  projected  through 
the  parapet.    In  front  of  this  work  I  caused  to  be  planted, 
everywhere,  some  pointed  stakes  twenty-five  feet  in  height, 
one    foot   in   diameter,    driven    three    feet   in    the    ground, 
pegged  to   the  cross-beams   that   fastened  the   top   of  the 
madriers  and  provided  with  a  f raise  at  the  top  2\U  feet 
long  to  prevent  surprise.     I  did  not  change  the  shape  of  this 
plateau  which,  though  irregular,  was  sufficiently  well  flanked 
against  the  savages.    I  caused  two  lodgments  to  be  built 


28 

for  my  men  in  two  of  the  flanking  angles  in  order  that 
they  be  ready  in  case  of  attack;  the  middle  was  made  of 
large  pieces  of  musket  proof  timber;  in  the  third  angle  the 
forge,  made  of  the  same  material,  was  placed  along  the 
curtain  which  faced  the  wood.  The  lodging  of  the  Recol- 
lects was  in  the  fourth  angle,  and  I  had  my  tent  and  that  of 
the  sieur  de  Tonti  stationed  in  the  center  of  the  place. 

D :  La  Salle's  Description  of  the  Illinois  River,  August 
22,  1682.  From  Margry,  Decouvertes  et  Etablisse- 
ments  des  Francais,  II,  247. 

La  riviere  Teakiki  est  presque  tousjours  egalement 

large  pendant  ces  quatre-vingt-dix  lieues,  approchant  de  la 
largeur  de  la  Seine  devant  Paris,  la  ou  elle  se  contient  dans 
son  lit;  mais  en  divers  endroits  comme  a  Pimiteoui,  une 
lieue  a  Test  de  Crevecoeur  et  deux  ou  trois  autres  fois  au 
dessous,  elle  s'eslargit  jusqu  a  une  et  deux  lieues  et  en  beau- 
coup  d'endroits,  ou  les  deux  costeaux  qui  la  costoyent  depuis 
le  village  des  Islinois  s'esloignent  d'environ  une  demy-lieue 
Tun  de  l'autre. 

[Translation] 

The  Illinois   River,  wherever  it  keeps  within  its 

bed,  is  for  these  ninety  leagues  almost  always  of  the  same 
width,  approximating  the  width  of  the  Seine  before  Paris. 
But  at  various  places,  as  at  Pimiteoui,  a  league  to  the  east 
of  Crevecoeur,  and  at  two  or  three  other  times  below,  it  is 
enlarged  to  one  or  two  leagues  and  in  many  places  where 
the  two  lines  of  hills  which  border  it  from  the  site  of  the 
village  of  the  Illinois  are  distant  from  each  other  about  half 
a  league. 

E:  La  Salle's  account  of  journey  from  Fort  de  Creve- 
coeur. From  Margry,  Decouvertes  et  Etablisse- 
ments  de  Francais,  II,  55. 

Cependant  l'hyver  estant  beaucoup  plus  long  qu'a  l'ordi- 
naire  et  les  glaces  ostant  la  communication  avec  le  village 


29 

ou  estoit  le  bled  d'Inde  en  cache,  les  vivres  commengant  a 
manquer  a  ceux  qui  travailloient  au  fort,  je  me  determinay 
a  partir  pour  trouver  moyen  de  les  en  pourveoir.  Je  m'em- 
barquay  avec  six  Francois  et  un  Sauvage  dans  deux  canots, 
la  riviere  estant  libre  devant  le  fort;  mais  nous  n'eusmes 
pas  marche  une  heure  que  nous  la  trouvasmes  glacee.  Je 
croyois  que  le  peu  de  courant  qu'il  y  avoit  en  cet  endroit 
estoit  cause  que  les  glaces  y  duroient  plus  longtemps,  et,  ne 
voulant  pas  quitter  mes  cantos  que  je  voulois  renvoyer 
chargez  de  bled  d'Inde  au  fort  quand  je  serois  arrive  au 
village,  je  fis  esperer  a  mes  gens  qu'a  la  fin  de  ce  lac  glace  le 
courant  auroit  pourri  les  glaces,  et  que  nous  aurions  le  pas- 
sage libre.  Nous  fismes  deux  traisneaux  et  mismes  nostre 
equipage  et  nos  canots  dessus,  et  traisnasmes  le  tout 
jusqu'au  bout  du  lac,  a  sept  ou  huit  lieues  de  long.  La 
riviere  se  trouva  le  lendemain  couverte  de  glaces  environ 
quatre  lieues  durant  au  dela  du  lac,  qui  estoient  trop  foibles 
pour  marcher  dessus  et  trop  fortes  pur  les  pouvoir  casser 
et  pour  y  exposer  des  canots  d'escorce.  Nous  passasmes 
done  cette  journee,  2  de  Mars,  a  porter  tout  par  terre  dans 
la  neiga  jusqu'a  my-jambe  et  a  travers  des  bois,  et  arrivas- 
mes  le  soir  a  des  cabanes  Sauvages  ou  nous  nous  mismes  a 
couvert  de  la  pluye  qui  tomba  toute  la  nuit  en  grande  quan- 
tite. 

[Translation] 

However,  the  winter  being  much  longer  than  ordinarily 
and  the  ice  preventing  communication  with  the  village  where 
the  Indian  corn  was  en  cache,  the  provisions  began  to  fail 
those  who  were  working  at  the  fort,  and  I  determined  to 
set  out  in  order  to  find  means  of  providing  for  them.  I 
embarked  with  six  Frenchmen  and  a  savage  in  two  canoes, 
the  river  being  free  before  the  fort;  but  we  had  not  travelled 
an  hour  when  we  found  it  frozen.  I  believe  that  the  little 
current  that  was  present  in  that  part  was  the  cause  of  the 
ice  remaining  there  so  long;  and  not  wishing  to  part  with 
my  canoes  that  I  wished  to  send  back  to  the  fort  loaded 


30 

with  Indian  corn  when  I  should  arrive  at  the  village,  I  en- 
couraged my  men  to  hope  that  at  the  end  of  the  frozen 
lake  the  current  would  have  rotted  the  ice,  and  we  should 
have  a  free  passage.  We  made  two  sleds  and  put  our  equip- 
ment and  our  boats  upon  them  and  dragged  the  whole  to 
the  end  of  the  lake,  which  was  seven  or  eight  leagues  in 
length.  On  the  following  day,  we  found  the  river  for 
about  four  leagues  beyond  the  lake  covered  with  ice,  which 
was  too  weak  to  travel  upon  and  too  strong  to  break  and  to 
expose  to  it  the  bark  canoes.  We  passed,  therefore,  this 
day,  the  second  of  March,  in  carrying  everything  by  land 
through  the  snow,  which  was  knee  deep,  and  across  the 
wood;  and  we  arrived  in  the  evening  at  some  Indian  huts, 
where  we  sought  shelter  from  the  rain  which  fell  in  great 
quantity  all  night. 

APPENDIX  II :     Testimony  of  the  writer  of  the 

"Official  Account"  of  the  enter- 
prises of  Cavelier  de  La  Salle. 

A:  The  building  of  Fort  de  Crevecoeur.  From  Mar- 
gry,  Decouvertes  et  Etablissements  des  Francais,  I, 
476-477. 

Un  grand  degel  estant  survenu  le  IS  Janvier  et  ayant 
rendu  la  riviere  libre  au-dessous  du  village,  le  sieur  de  La 
Salle  se  rendit  avec  tous  ses  canots  au  lieu  qu'il  avoit  choisy 
pour  y  faire  un  fort.  C'estoit  un  petit  tertre  esloigne  d'en- 
viron  deux  cents  pas  du  bord  de  la  riviere  qui  s'estendoit 
jusqu'au  pied  dans  le  temps  des  grandes  pluyes.  Deux 
ravines  larges  et  profondes  fortifioient  deux  autres  costez, 
et  une  partie  du  quatriesme,  que  le  sieur  de  La  Salle  fit 
achever  de  retrancher  par  un  fosse  qui  joignoit  ensemble  les 
deux  ravines.  II  fit  border  leur  talus  exterieur,  qui  luy  ser- 
voit  de  contrescarpe,  de  bons  chevaux  de  frise.  II  fit 
escarper  de  tous  costez  cette  eminence,  dont  il  fit  soutenir 
la  terre  autant  qu'il  luy  estoit  necessaire  par  de  fortes  pieces 
de  bois  avec  des  madriers,  et  il  fit  planter  autour,  de  peur  de 


31 

quelque  surprise,  une  palissade  dont  les  pieux  estoient  longs 
de  vingt  pieds,  et  gros  a  proportion.  II  laissa  le  haut  du 
tertre  en  sa  figure  naturelle,  qui  formoit  un  quarre  irregu- 
lier,  et  il  se  contenta  de  le  border  d'un  bon  parapet  de  terre, 
capable  de  couvrir  ses  gens,  dont  il  fit  faire  le  logement 
dans  des  angles  de  ce  fort,  afin  qu'ils  fussent  toujours  prests 
en  cas  d'attaque.  Les  Recollects  furent  logez  dans  le 
troisiesme.  Le  magasin,  solidement  construit,  fut  place 
dans  le  quatriesme,  et  la  forge,  le  long  de  la  courtine  qui 
regardoit  le  bois.  Pour  luy,  il  se  posta  au  milieu  avec  le 
sieur  de  Tonty. 

[Translation] 

A  great  thaw  having  occurred  on  January  15  and  having 
rendered  the  river  free  below  the  village,  Sieur  de  la  Salle 
proceeded  with  all  his  canoes  to  the  place  where  he  had 
chosen  to  build  a  fort.  It  was  a  little  hillock  at  a  distance 
of  about  200  paces  from  the  bank  of  the  river  which  ex- 
tended to  the  foot  during  severe  rains.  Two  wide  and  deep 
ravines  fortified  two  other  sides  and  a  part  of  the  fourth, 
which  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  caused  to  be  completely  cut  off 
by  a  ditch  which  joined  together  the  two  ravines.  He 
caused  their  opposite  slopes,  which  served  him  as  a  counter- 
scarp, to  be  bordered  with  good  chevaux-de-frise.  He 
caused  all  sides  of  this  elevation  to  be  cut  into  a  steep  slope, 
the  earth  of  which  he  caused  to  be  supported,  so  far  as  there 
was  need  of  it,  by  strong  pieces  of  wood  with  madriers.  For 
fear  of  some  surprise,  he  caused  to  be  planted  all  around  a 
palisade  whose  posts  were  twenty  feet  in  length  and  as  thick 
in  proportion.  He  left  the  top  of  the  hillock  in  its  natural 
shape,  which  formed  an  irregular  square,  and  he  satisfied 
himself  with  bordering  it  with  a  good  parapet  of  earth, 
capable  of  covering  his  men,  for  whom  he  caused  the  lodg- 
ment to  be  built  in  some  angles  of  this  fort,  in  order  that 
they  might  be  always  ready  in  case  of  attack.  The  Recol- 
lects were  lodged  in  the  third  angle.  The  store-house  solidly 


32 

constructed,  was  placed  in  the  fourth,  and  the  forge,  along 
the  curtain  which  faces  the  wood.  As  for  him,  he  stationed 
himself  with  the  Sieur  de  Tonti  in  the  middle. 

B :     Site  for  the   fort.     From  Margry,  Decouvertes  et 
Etablissements  des  Francais,  I,  488-489. 

il  partit  le  er  du  mois  de  Mars  avec  six  des  plus 

robustes  de  ses  gens  et  un  Sauvage,  en  deux  canots. 

Le  courant,  assez  rapide,  tenoit  la  riviere  libre  de  glaces 
aupres  du  fort  Mais  apres  une  lieue  de  navigation  et  a 
l'entree  d'un  eslargissement  ou  d'un  lac  de  huit  lieues  de 
long,  que  forme  la  riviere,  ils  la  trouverent  glacee.  Le  sieur 
de  La  Salle,  qui  ne  vouloit  pas  abandonner  ses  canots,  ayant 
dessein  de  les  renvoyer  au  fort  chargez  de  bled  d'Inde,  dit 
a  ses  gens  qu'au  bout  de  ce  lac,  le  courant  auroit  fondu  les 
glaces  et  leur  ouvriroit  le  passage.  Ainsi  ils  resolurent  de 
faire  deux  traisneaux  sur  lesquels  ils  mirent  leurs  canots  et 
tout  leur  equipage,  et  les  traisnerent  sur  las  neige  jusqu'au 
bout  du  lac.  Ils  y  trouverent,  le  lendemain,  la  riviere 
couverte  de  glace  trop  foible  pour  pouvoir  marcher  dessus, 
et  trop  forte  pour  y  exposer  des  canots  d'escorce.  Ils  furent 
done  contrains  de  porter  les  canots  et  tout  le  reste  durant 
quatre  lieues,  tousjours  dans  la  neige  jusqu'a  mi-jambes,  et  a 
travers  les  bois.  Ils  arriverent  le  soir  a  des  cabanes  des 
Sauvages,  ou  ils  se  mirent  a  couvert  d'une  forte  pluye  qui 
tomba  toute  la  nuit. 

[Translation] 

...  he  set  out  on  the  first  of  the  month  of  March  with  six 
of  the  most  robust  of  his  men  and  one  savage,  in  two 
canoes. 

The  current,  rather  rapid,  kept  the  river  near  the  fort 
free  from  ice;  but  after  a  league  of  navigation  and  at  the 
entrance  of  an  enlargement,  or  of  a  lake,  some  eight  leagues 
long,  that  the  river  forms,  they  found  it  frozen.  Sieur  de  la 
Salle,  who  did  not  wish  to  abandon  his  canoes,  having 
planned  to  send  them  back,  loaded  with  Indian  corn  to  the 


33 

forts,  told  his  men  that  at  the  end  of  this  lake,  the  current 
would  have  melted  the  ice  and  opened  their  passage.  So 
they  resolved  to  make  two  sleds  on  which  they  loaded  their 
canoes  and  their  equipment,  and  dragged  them  through  the 
snow  to  the  end  of  the  lake.  They  found  there,  the  follow- 
ing day,  the  river  covered  with  ice  too  weak  to  travel  upon 
and  too  strong  to  expose  to  it  the  bark  canoes.  They  were 
therefore  forced  to  carry  the  canoes  and  all  the  rest  for  a 
distance  of  four  leagues,  always  through  the  knee-deep 
snow  and  across  the  woods.  They  arrived  in  the  evening  at 
some  Indians'  huts  where  they  sheltered  themselves  from  a 
hard  rain  which  fell  all  night. 

APPENDIX  III :     Henri  de  Tonti's  Testimony. 
A:     Tonti's    account    of    Fort    de    Crevecoeur.      From 
Margry,  Decoavertes   et  Etablissements  des  Fran- 
cais,  I,  583. 

Le  15,  ayant  trouve  un  lieu  propre  pour  faire  bastir  une 
barque  de  quarante  tonneaux,  pour  descendre  le  Mississipy 
ou  fleuve  Colbert,  Ton  y  construisit  un  fort  qui  fut  nomme 
Crevecoeur,  et  Ton  travailla  a  une  barque  de  quarante  ton- 
neaux. 

[Translation] 

The  15th  [of  January],  having  found  a  place  fitted  for 
having  a  boat  of  forty  tons  built  to  descend  the  Mississippi 
or  Colbert  River,  they  constructed  there  a  fort  which  was 
named  Crevecoeur  and  they  worked  on  a  boat  of  forty  tons. 
B :     Tonti's  account  of  Fort  de  Crevecoeur.     From  Illi- 
nois Historical  Collections,  I,  131. 
As  it  was  necessary  to  fortify  ourselves  during  the  winter 
we  made  a  fort  which  was  called  Crevecoeur. 

C:     Tonti's   testimony   on   open   water,   November    14, 
1694.     From    Margry,    Decouvertes    et    Etablisse- 
ments des  Francais,  I,  595. 
Apres    nous    traisnasmes    nostre    equipage    soixante-dix 
lieues,  scavoir  vingt  sur  la  riviere  de  Chicago  et  cinquante 


34 

sur  celle  des  Illinois.  Estant  arrivez  au  fort  de  Contrecoeur 
(sic) ,  nous  y  trouvasmes  la  navigation,  et  comme  plusieurs 
de  nos  Sauvages  furent  obligez  de  faire  plusieurs  canots 
d'escorce  d'orme,  cela  fut  cause  que  nous  n'arrivasmes  que 
le  6  Fevrier  au  fleuve  de  Mississipi,  qui  fut  nomme  Colbert 
par  M.  de  La  Salle. 

[Translation] 

After  we  dragged  our  equipage  seventy  leagues,  namely 
twenty  on  the  Chicago  River  and  fifty  on  that  of  the  Illinois, 
having  arrived  at  Fort  de  Crevecoeur,  we  found  there  open 
navigation;  and  as  several  of  our  Indians  were  obliged  to 
make  several  elm-bark  canoes,  that  was  the  cause  that  we 
arrived  only  on  February  6  at  the  Mississippi  River,  which 
was  named  Colbert  by  M.  de  la  Salle. 

APPENDIX   IV:     Testimony   of   Father   Zenobe 

Membre. 

A:     Father   Membre's   description   of   Lake   Pimiteoui. 
From    Le    Clercq,    Establishment    of    the    Faith 

(Translated  by  J.  G.  Shea),  II,  118-119. 

They  left  it  on  the  1st  of  January,  1680,  and  by  the  4th 
were  thirty  leagues  lower  down  amid  the  camp  of  the  Illi- 
nois; they  were  encamped  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  which 
is  very  narrow  there,  but  very  near  there  forms  a  lake  about 
seven  leagues  long  and  one  wide,  called  Pimiteoui,  meaning 
in  their  language  that  there  are  plenty  of  fat  beasts  in  that 
spot.  The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  estimated  it  at  thirty-three 
degrees  forty-five  minutes.  It  is  remarkable  because  the 
Illinois  River,  which  for  several  months  in  winter  is  frozen 
down  to  it,  never  is  from  this  place  to  the  mouth,  although 
navigation  is  interrupted  in  places  by  accumulations  of  float- 
ing ice  from  above. 


35 

B :  Father  Membre's  Description  of  Fort  Crevecoeur. 
From  Le  Clercq,  Establishment  of  the  Faith 
(Translated  by  Shea),  II,  123. 

With  this  assurance  the  little  army,  on  the  14th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1680,  the  floating  ice  from  above  having  ceased, 
repaired  to  a  little  eminence,  a  pretty  strong  position,  near 
the  Illinois  camp,  where  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  immediately 
set  to  work  to  build  a  fort,  which  he  called  Crevecoeur,  on 
account  of  many  vexations  that  he  experienced  there,  but 
which  never  shook  his  firm  resolve.  The  fort  was  well 
advanced  and  the  little  vessel  already  up  to  the  string-piece 
by  the  first  of  March,  when  he  resolved  to  make  a  journey 
to  Fort  Frontenac. 

C:  Father  Membre's  account  of  La  Salle's  journey  to 
the  east.  From  Le  Clercq,  Establishment  of  the 
Faith  (Translated  by  Shea),  II,  129-131. 

Father  Louis  having  set  out  on  the  29th  of  February, 
1680,  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  left  the  Sieur  de  Tonty  as  com- 
mandant of  Fort  Crevecoeur  with  ammunition  and  pro- 
visions, and  peltries  to  pay  the  workmen,  as  has  been 
agreed,  and  merchandise  to  trade  with  and  buy  provisions 
as  they  were  needed;  and  having  lastly  given  orders  as  to 
what  was  to  be  done  in  his  absence,  he  set  out  with  four 
Frenchmen  and  one  Indian  on  the  2d  of  March,  1680.  He 
arrived  on  the  11th  at  the  great  Illinois  village  where  I 
then  was,  and  thence,  after  twenty-four  hours'  stay,  he  con- 
tinued his  route  on  foot  over  the  ice  to  Fort  Frontenac. 
From  our  arrival  at  Fort  Crevecoeur,  on  the  14th  of  Janu- 
ary past,  Father  Gabriel,  our  Superior,  Father  Louis,  and 
myself,  had  raised  a  cabin,  in  which  we  had  established 
some  little  regularity,  exercising  our  functions  as  mission- 
aries towards  the  French  of  our  party,  and  towards  the 
Illinois  Indians,  who  came  in  crowds.  As  by  the  end  of  Feb- 
ruary I  already  knew  a  part  of  their  language,  because  I 
spent  the  whole  of  the  day  in  the  Indian  camp,  which  was 


36 

but  half  a  league  off,1  our  Father-Superior  appointed  me  to 
follow  them  when  they  began  to  return  to  their  village.  A 
chief  named  Oumahouha  had  adopted  me  as  his  son  in  the 
Indian  fashion,  and  Monsieur  de  la  Salle  had  made  him 
presents  in  order  that  he  might  take  good  care  of  me. 
Father  Gabriel  resolved  to  stay  at  the  fort  with  the  Sieur 
de  Tonty  and  the  workmen. 

APPENDIX   V:     Father   Hennepin's   Testimony. 

A:     Description  of  Lake  Pimiteoui.     From  Hennepin, 
Description  de  la  Louisiane,  140-141. 

Sur  la  fin  du  quatrieme  jour  en  traversant  un  petit  Lac  qui 
forme  la  Riviere,  on  remarqua  des  fumees  qui  firent  con- 
noistre  que  les  Sauvages  estoient  cabannez  pres  de-la  :  En 
effet,  le  cinquieme  sur  les  neuf  heures  du  matin  on  vit  des 
duex  cotez  de  la  Riviere  quantite  de  Peroquets,  &  environ 
quatre-vingts  Cabannes  pleines  de  Sauvages  qui  n'apper- 
ceurent  nos  Canots  qu'apres  que  nous  eumes  double  une 
pointe,  derriere  laquelle  les  Illinois  estoient  campez  a  demie 
portee  du  fusil,  nous  estions  dans  huit  Canots  sur  une  ligne, 
tous  nos  gens  les  armes  a  la  main,  &  nous  laissans  aller  au 
courant  de  la  Riviere. 

^Translation^ 

At  the  end  of  the  fourth  day  while  crossing  a  little  lake 
which  the  river  forms,  we  noticed  some  smoke  which  in- 
formed us  that  the  Savages  were  cabined  near  there.  In 
fact,  on  the  fifth  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  saw  on 
the  two  sides  of  the  river  a  quantity  of  pirogues  and  about 
eighty  cabins  full  of  savages  who  saw  our  canoes  only  after 
we  had  doubled  a  point  behind  which  the  Illinois  were  en- 
camped at  the  distance  of  half  a  gun  shot.     We  were  in 


•Investigators  have  attempted  to  use  this  statement  in  determining  the  site  of  Fort  de 
Crevecoeur,  but  an  "Indian  camp"  was  very  changeable.  The  passage  offers  no  certain  point 
from  which  to  measure.  Of  course  Indians  pitched  their  temporary  camps  in  the  vicinity  of 
Fort  de  Crevecoeur,  wherever  it  mav  have  been  situated.  That  the  camp  here  referred  to  can- 
not be  identified  with  the  Indian  village  of  Pimeteoui  is  evident. 


37 

eight  canoes  drawn  up  in  line,  all  our  men  having  their  arms 
in  hand;  we  allowed  the  canoes  to  float  with  the  current  of 
the  river. 

B :     Hennepin  describes  Lake  Pimiteoui.     From  Henne- 
pin, Nouvelle  decouverte  d'un  tres  grand  pays  situe 
dans  VAmerique,  entre  le  Nouveau  Mexique,  et  la 
Mer  Glaciate  .  ..,  199-200. 
Sur  la  fin  du  quatrieme  jour  de  Fan  nous  traversames  un 
petit  Lac  long  d'environ  sept  lieues,  &  large  d'une,  nomme 
Pimiteoui,  ce  qui  signifie  en  leur  langue,  qu'il  y  a  en  cet 
endroit,  beaucoup  de  betes  grasses.    Le  Sieur  de  la  Salle 
jugea  par  l'Astrolabe,  qu'il  etoit  a  trente  trois  degrez  quar- 
ante  cinq  minutes.     Ce  Lac  est  fort  remarquable,  en  ce  que 
la  Riviere  des  Illinois  etant  glacee  jusques  la  ce  qui  ne  dure 
que  quatre  ou  cinq  Semines,  &  n'arrive  que  rarement,  elle 
ne  Test  jamais  depuis  cet  endroit  jusqu'a  son  embouchure 
dans  Meschasipi. 

[Translation] 

At  the  end  of  the  fourth  day  of  the  year  we  crossed  a 
little  lake,  in  length  about  seven  leagues  and  in  width  one, 
named  Pimiteoui  which  signifies  in  their  language  that  there 
is,  in  this  place,  an  abundance  of  fat  beasts.  The  Sieur  de 
la  Salle  judged  by  the  astrolabe  that  the  latitude  was  thirty- 
three  degrees  forty-five  minutes.  This  lake  is  very  remark- 
able because  the  river  of  the  Illinois  although  it  freezes  as 
far  as  there — this  lasts  only  four  or  five  weeks  and  hap- 
pens only  rarely — is  never  frozen  from  this  place  down  to 
its  discharge  into  the  Mississippi. 

C:  Hennepin  describes  Fort  de  Crevecoeur.  From 
Hennepin,  Description  de  la  Louisiane,  166ff. 

.  .  .  ces  raisons  &  quelque  autres  sembables  que  je  leur  dis 
les  persuaderent,  &  les  engagerent  tous  de  bonne  grace  a 
la  construction  d'un  Fort  que  Ton  nomma  Creve-coeur  scitue 
a  quatre  journees  du  grand  Village  des  Illinois  descendant 
vers  le  Fleuve  Colbert. 


38 

Un  grand  degel  estant  survenu  le  quinze  de  Janvier,  & 
ayant  rendu  la  Riviere  libre  au  dessous  du  Village,  le  Sieur 
de  la  Salle  me  pria  de  l'accompagner,  &  nous  nous  rendi'mes 
avec  un  de  nos  Canots  au  lieu  que  nous  allions  choisir  pour 
travailler  a  ce  petit  Fort:  c'estoit  un  petit  tertre  eloigne 
d'environ  deux  cens  pas  du  bord  de  la  Riviere  qui  s'etendoit 
jusques  au  pied  dans  le  temps  des  pluyes,  deux  ravines  larges 
&  profondes  fortifioent  deux  autres  costez,  &  une  partie  du 
quatrieme  que  Ton  fit  achever  de  retrancher  par  un  fosse  qui 
joignoit  ensemble  les  deux  ravines,  on  fit  border  leur  Talus 
exterieur  qui  luy  servoit  de  Contrescarpe,  on  fit  des  Chevaux 
de  frize,  &  escarper  de  tous  cotez  cette  eminence,  &  on  fit 
soiitenir  la  terre  autant  qu'il  estoit  necessaire  par  de  fortes 
pieces  de  bois  avec  de  Madriers,  &  on  fit  planter  au  tour  de 
peur  de  quelque  surprise  une  Pallissade  dont  les  pieux 
estoient  longs  de  vingt-cinq  pieds  &  d'un  pied  d'espaisseur, 
on  laissa  le  haut  du  tertre  en  sa  figure  naturelle  qui  formoit 
un  quarre  irregulier,  &  on  se  contenta  de  le  border  d'un  bon 
Parapet  de  terre  capable  de  couvrir  tout  notre  monde  dont 
on  fit  faire  le  Logement  dans  deux  des  Angles  de  ce  Fort 
afin  qu'ils  fussent  toujours  prests  en  cas  d'attaque,  les  Peres 
Gabriel,  Zenoble  &  moy  nous  nous  logeames  dans  une 
Cabanne  couverte  de  planches  que  nous  ajustames  avec  nos 
Ouvriers,  &  dans  laquelle  nous  nous  retirions  apres  le  tra- 
vail, tout  notre  monde  pour  la  Priere  du  soir  &  du  matin,  & 
ou  ne  pouvans  plus  dire  la  Messe,  le  vin  que  nous  avions  fait 
du  gros  raisin  du  pais  nous  venant  a  manquer,  nous  nous 
contentions  de  chanter  les  Vespres  les  Festes  &  Dimanches, 
&  de  faire  la  Predication  apres  les  Prieres  du  matin,  on  mit 
la  Forga  le  long  de  la  courtine  qui  regardoit  le  bois,  le  Sieur 
de  la  Salle  se  posta  au  milieu  avec  le  Sieur  de  Tonty,  &  Ton 
fit  abattre  du  bois  pour  faire  du  charbon  pour  le  Forgeron. 

[  Translation] 

.  .  .  these  reasons  and  some  similar  ones,  which  I  told 
them,  persuaded  them,  and  they  all  willing  agreed  to  the 
construction  of  a  fort  which  we  named  Creve-coeur  [sic~\, 


39 

situated  at  four  days  journey  from  the  great  village  of  the 
Illinois  as  one  journeys  toward  the  river  Colbert.  [Missis- 
sippi]. 

A  great  thaw  having  occurred  on  January  15  and  having 
rendered  the  river  free  below  the  village,  the  Sieur  de  la 
Salle  asked  me  to  accompany  him  and  we  proceeded  with 
one  of  our  canoes  to  the  place  which  we  were  going  to 
choose  for  the  construction  of  this  little  fort.    It  was  a  little 
hillock  at  a  distance  of  about  two  hundred  paces  from  the 
bank  of  the  river  which  extended  to  the  foot  during  severe 
rains.   Two  wide  and  deep  ravines  fortified  two  other  sides 
and  a  part  of  the  fourth  which  we  caused  to  be  completely 
cut  off  by  a  ditch  which  joined  together  the  two  ravines. 
We   caused   their   opposite   slopes   to   be   bordered   which 
served  him  [sic]   as  a  counterscarp,  we  made  chevaux-de- 
frise,2  and  caused  all  sides  of  this  elevation  to  be  cut  into  a 
steep  slope,  and  we  caused  the  earth  to  be  supported,  so  far 
as  there  was  need  of  it,  by  strong  pieces  of  wood  with 
madriers.     For   fear   of  some   surprise,   we   caused   to  be 
planted  a  palisade  whose  posts  were  twenty-five  feet  long 
and  a  foot  in  thickness.    We  left  the  top  of  the  hillock  in  its 
natural  shape  which  formed  an  irregular  square,   and  we 
satisfied  ourselves  with  bordering  it  with  a  good  parapet  of 
earth   capable   of  covering   all   our   people   for  whom  we 
caused  the  lodgment  to  be  built  in  two  of  the  angles  of  this 
fort  in  order  that  they  might  always  be  ready  in  case  of 
attack.    The  Fathers  Gabriel,  Zenoble   [sic],  and  I  were 
lodged  in  the  cabin  covered  with  planks  which  we,  with  our 
workers  fixed  up  and  into  which  we  retired  after  work  and 
all  of  our  people  for  evening  &  morning  prayer,  and  when 
we  could  no  longer  read  Mass,  after  the  wine,  which  we 
had  made  from  the  large  grape  of  the  country,  failed  us, 


2The  relation  between  Hennepin's  Description  de  la  Loutstane  and  the  "Official  Account 
(Appendix  II)  has  often  been  pointed  out.     There  certainly  has  been  copying  by  someone. 
The  error  made  by  Hennepin  in  this  sentence,  as  can  be  seen  by  comparing  it  with  the     Official 
Account  '  (Appendix  II,  A)  leaves  no  doubt  that  he  did  the  copying  and  that  he  was  a  careless 
copyist  at  that. 


40 

we  contented  ourselves  with  singing  the  Vespers,  Feasts, 
and  Sundays  and  with  preaching  after  morning  prayers. 
We  placed  the  forge  along  the  curtain  which  faced  the 
woods.  The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  with  Sieur  de  Tonti  placed 
himself  in  the  middle;  and  we  had  wood  brought  to  make 
charcoal  for  the  forge.2 

D  :  Hennepin  describes  the  Indian  villages.  From  Hen- 
nepin, Nonvelle  decouverte  d'un  tres  grand  pays 
situe  dans  l} Amerique,  .  .  197. 

Le  plus  grand  Village  des  Illinois  est  compose  de  quatre 
ou  cinq  cens  Cabannes,  chacune  de  cinq  ou  six  feux.  Ces  Vil- 
lages son  situez  dans  une  plaine  un  peu  marecageuse  a 
quarante  degrez  de  latitude  sur  la  rive  droite  d'une  Riviere 
aussi  large  que  la  Meuse  Test  devant  Namur. 

[Translation] 

The  largest  village  of  the  Illinois  is  composed  of  four  or 
five  hundred  cabins,  each  of  five  or  six  fires.  These  villages 
are  situated  in  a  plain,  a  little  marshy,  at  forty  degrees  of 
latitude  on  the  right  bank  of  a  river  as  wide  as  the  Meuse 
that  is  in  front  of  Namur. 

E  :  Hennepin's  description  of  the  fort.  From  Hennepin, 
Nouvelle  decouverte  d'un  tres  grand  pays  situe  dans 
I' Amerique,  ....  223. 

II  faut  remarquer  ici,  que  quelque  hyver,  qu'il  fasse  dans 
les  Contrees  de  ce  charmant  Pays  des  Illinois,  il  ne  dure  que 
deux  mois  tout  au  plus.  Et  en  effet  le  15.  de  Janvier  il  sur- 
vint  un  grand  degel,  qui  rendit  la  Riviere  libre  au  dessous 
du  Village,  ou  nous  etions.  Nous  nous  trouvames  done  tout 
d'un  coup  comme  dans  une  espece  de  printemps.  Le  Sieur 
de  la  Salle  me  pria  de  l'accompagner.  Nous  nous  rendimes 
donee  en  Canot  au  lieu,  que  nous  allions  choisir  pour 
travailler  a  ce  Fort. 

C'etoit  un  peitt  tertre  elogne  d'environ  deux  cens  pas  du 
bord  de  la  Riviere,  laquelle  s'etendoit  jusqu'au  pied  dans  le 
temps  des  pluyes.     Deux  ravines  larges  &  profondes  forti- 


41 

fioient  les  deux  autres  cotez  de  cette  petite  eminence.  On 
acheva  de  retrancher  une  partie  du  quatrieme  par  un  fosse, 
qui  joignoit  ensemble  les  deux  ravines.  On  fit  border  leur 
talus  exterieur,  qui  servoit  de  contrescarpe  par  des 
Chevaux  de  Frize,  &  ensuite  on  escarpa  cette  eminence  de 
tous  costez.  On  en  fit  soutenir  la  terre  autant  qu'il  etoit 
necessaire,  par  de  fortes  pieces  de  bois,  &  par  des  Madriers. 
On  fit  faire  le  logement  a  deux  des  Angles  de  ce  Fort,  afin 
que  nos  gens  fussent  toujours  prests  en  cas  d'attaque.  Les 
Peres  Gabriel,  Zenobe  &  moy  nous  logeames  dans  une 
Cabanne  couverte  de  planches,  que  nous  ajustames  avec  nos 
Ouvriers.  Nous  nous  y  retirions  apres  le  travail  avec  tout 
notre  monde  pour  la  priere  du  soir,  de  meme  que  nous  trou- 
vions  le  matin  pour  le  meme  sujet.  Nous  ne  pouvions  plus 
dire  la  Messe,  par  ce  que  le  Vin,  que  nous  avions  fait  des 
gros  Raisins  du  pays,  avoit  manque.  Nous  nous  contentions 
de  chanter  les  Vespres  les  jours  de  festes,  &  les  Dimanches, 
&  nous  faisions  la  predication  apres  les  prieres  du  matin. 
On  mit  la  forge  le  long  de  la  Courtine,  qui  regardoit  le  bois. 
Le  Sieur  de  la  Salle  se  posta  au  milieu  de  Fort  avec  Sieur  de 
Tonty,  &  on  fit  abbattre  du  bois  pour  en  faire  du  Charbon 
pour  la  forge. 

[Translation] 

It  is  necessary  to  note  here,  that  whatever  winter  that 
occurs  in  the  region  of  this  charming  country  of  the  Illinois, 
lasts,  only  two  months  at  the  most.  And,  in  fact,  on  the 
15th  of  January  a  great  thaw  followed,  which  rendered  the 
river  free  below  the  village,  where  we  were.  We  found 
ourselves,  then,  suddenly  in  a  sort  of  spring.  The  Sieur 
de  la  Salle  asked  me  to  accompany  him.  We  went,  then,  in 
a  canoe  to  the  place  that  we  were  going  to  choose  for  the 
construction  of  this  fort. 

It  was  a  little  hillock  at  a  distance  of  about  two  hundred 
paces  from  the  edge  of  the  river,  which  extended  up  to  the 
foot  in  time  of  rains.  Two  wide  and  deep  ravines  fortified 
the  two  other  sides  of  this  little  elevation.   We  finished  cut- 


42 

ting  off  a  part  of  the  fourth  by  a  ditch  which  joined  to- 
gether the  two  ravines.  We  caused  their  exterior  slopes, 
which  served  him  as  counterscarp,  to  be  bordered  with 
some  chevaux-de-frise,  and  then  cut  down  this  eminence  on 
all  sides.  We  caused  the  earth  to  be  supported,  as  much 
as  it  was  necessary,  by  strong  pieces  of  wood  and  by 
madriers. 

We  caused  a  lodgment  to  be  built  in  two  angles  of  this 
fort,  so  that  our  men  were  always  ready  in  case  of  attack. 
The  Fathers  Gabriel,  Zenobe  and  I  lodged  ourselves  in  a 
cabin  covered  with  planks  which  we,  with  our  workers, 
adjusted.  We  retired  there  after  work  with  our  people  for 
evening  prayer;  likewise,  we  met  in  the  morning  for  the 
same  reason.  We  were  not  able  to  say  Mass  because  of  the 
wine,  which  we  had  made  from  the  large  grape  of  the 
country,  had  failed.  We  satisfied  ourselves  with  chanting 
the  vespers,  the  days  of  feasts,  and  Sundays,  and  we  deliv- 
ered the  sermon  after  the  morning  prayers.  We  placed  the 
forge  along  the  curtain  which  faced  the  wood.  The  Sieur 
de  la  Salle  stationed  himself  with  Sieur  de  Tonti  in  the 
middle  of  the  fort  and  we  caused  wood  to  be  carried  in 
order  to  make  charcoal  for  the  forge. 


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